


patience gets us nowhere fast

by unholyconfessions (orphan_account)



Series: The Barry/Eddie Tumblr Prompt Extravaganza '15 [5]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012), The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Alternate Universe, Awkwardness, Epic Bromance, First Kiss, Gen or Pre-Slash, M/M, Matchmaking, Pre-Relationship, Tommy and Ollie and Barry are Bros
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-03-18
Updated: 2015-03-18
Packaged: 2018-03-18 12:26:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 739
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3569657
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/orphan_account/pseuds/unholyconfessions
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>After a long thirty minutes of answering Tommy’s shameless questions and seven and a half beers later, Barry finds himself on Oliver’s couch instead, Tommy and Oliver on either side of him, the three of them staring at the ceiling.</p>
            </blockquote>





	patience gets us nowhere fast

**Author's Note:**

  * For [starsaligns](https://archiveofourown.org/users/starsaligns/gifts).



> > for **Bonnie** , who asked for Barry/Eddie + "You did what?" on Tumblr.

Silence consumes the room after Barry utters the words, loud and clear.

Tommy blinks at him once, twice, and slowly turns to exchange a look with Oliver, his fingers tightening around the beer in his hand.

He wets his lips, raises his eyebrows, and asks, “You did _what_?”

Barry opens his mouth, his lips shaping around air. He shrugs, after a beat, presses his lips in a line when Oliver gives him a pointed look.

“I kissed Eddie,” Barry repeats.

Tommy makes a sound in his throat. Glass and marble click together as he places his beer on the kitchen counter, a hand running over his face as Barry’s words continue to bounce from wall to wall, uninterrupted.

“Your best-friend-slash-crush’s ex-boyfriend?” Tommy announces. He doesn’t seem interested in answer. “Are you outta your mind, Allen?”

Barry sighs, allowing his shoulders to fall. He settles on the stool next to Oliver and buries his face in his hands, waits for Oliver’s hand to land on his shoulder before looking back up.

“You okay?”

“Yeah,” says Barry to Oliver, shaking his head. “I mean—I don’t know. I just—”

“Did he kiss you back?” 

Barry frowns at Tommy’s interruption, shrugs.

“I guess,” he says, taking a swig of Tommy’s beer when he nudges the bottle in Barry’s direction.

Tommy gestures wildly with a hand, offers, “And?”

“ _Tommy_ ,” Oliver says through his teeth, one sharp eyebrow tilted up.

“C’mon, I’m just asking,” Tommy argues. He adds, in a whisper, “Like you don’t wanna know.”

Barry glances at Oliver and Oliver clears his throat, shifting in his seat. Barry lets out a weak laugh, rubbing a hand across the nape of his neck as he tries to recall the events.

“I—I don’t know what happened. I wasn’t thinking straight—”

“Clearly.”

Barry smiles, echoing Tommy, “Clearly.” He sighs. “I mean, we’ve grown close ever since they broke up, but I never thought about it until today.”

This time it’s Oliver who speaks, his voice higher than usual, “Really?”

Tommy smirks when Barry turns to look at him, confused. 

Barry frowns and Tommy chuckles, shaking his head, says, “Never thought about it before my ass. You mutter his name in your _sleep_.”

Barry makes an unflattering sound with his mouth, stutters, “I don’t—I have never—I do _not_.”

He glances at Oliver for backing and Oliver opens his mouth, offering a whole lot of nothing. Tommy gives him a small shrug in return, grabs another beer from the fridge.

After a long thirty minutes of answering Tommy’s shameless questions and seven and a half beers later, Barry finds himself on Oliver’s couch instead, Tommy and Oliver on either side of him, the three of them staring at the ceiling.

“So, you _ran_?” Tommy asks, again, this time with a laugh. Barry breathes out a sigh. “You actually ran away, without talking to him?”

“Yes.”

“No wonder you haven’t had a relationship in years.”

Barry elbows him in the ribs. “Gee, thanks.”

A chuckle passes between the three of them.

“I have an idea,” Tommy says.

He exchanges a look with Oliver, over Barry, and Barry almost jumps when Tommy’s hand finds his pocket, fishing his phone out.

“Tommy, what—”

“Stay there, Allen,” he says, pointing a finger at Barry as he and Oliver scramble to their feet and head across the room.

They poke and make faces at the screen, stare silently at it for a moment until it beeps back into life and a smile spreads on their faces.

Fear curls in Barry’s stomach as he sits up and asks, “Guys, what did you do?”

Tommy quickly types something and throws the phone back to Barry as he and Oliver return to their seats, hitting Barry on the chest.

Barry swallows when there’s no response from them, picking the phone up from his lap. He stares at the blank screen for a second before unlocking it and finding a text from Eddie on it, as a reply to a text _he_ never sent.

_hey, eddie. i was wondering… do you wanna grab a drink tomorrow? oliver’s having this thing at verdant._

_sure. tomorrow’s perfect. see u there, allen :)_

_great ;)_

Barry twists his neck to look at Oliver, then at Tommy, and swallows down the knot in throat. The words die in his chest, somehow, lost in the hammering of his heart.

A beat later, Tommy and Oliver say in unison, “You’re welcome.”


End file.
